Rapper and fashion designer Kanye West has severed ties with his former associate Milo Yiannopoulos following the British political commentator's deportation from the United States by federal immigration authorities.
West, 49, requested that Yiannopoulos vacate one of his properties and has stopped all personal and professional involvement with him, according to a source who spoke exclusively to the Daily Mail.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took Yiannopoulos, 41, into custody on Thursday at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Louisiana.
West, a 24-time Grammy Award winner known globally for his music and his Yeezy fashion brand, was scheduled to perform a concert at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans the day after the arrest. However, an insider stated that the musician had no knowledge of why Yiannopoulos was traveling to Louisiana for the event.
The insider explained that Yiannopoulos had long lost the trust of those within West's inner circle due to ongoing issues, noting that West had received multiple warnings regarding Yiannopoulos prior to the deportation.
Immigration status and allegations
Yiannopoulos, who previously handled press communications for West and at one point served as his chief of staff, reportedly lied to West and his team regarding his U.S. immigration status.
According to the source, Yiannopoulos repeatedly assured associates that he possessed a valid visa, was planning to marry, and was in the process of obtaining U.S. citizenship. Team members were shocked to learn after his arrest that he did not hold a valid visa.
At the time of his initial prominence, Yiannopoulos claimed he held an O-1 nonimmigrant visa. Under regulations established by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, an O-1 visa is granted to individuals demonstrating extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, requiring official sponsorship from an agent or employer.
Yiannopoulos first gained national attention as an editor for Breitbart News, an American far-right news and opinion website founded in 2007. He resigned from the organization in 2017 after conservative website The Reagan Battalion published video footage in which Yiannopoulos appeared to condone statutory rape and sexual relationships between adult men and underage boys. Yiannopoulos attributed the controversy to deceptive editing and sloppy phrasing on his part.
Personal history and public claims
Further details surrounding Yiannopoulos's personal history have also drawn scrutiny. In 2017, Yiannopoulos married his longtime partner in a ceremony at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai in Hawaii. He kept his partner's identity private, referring to him publicly only as John, which left his spouse's nationality unknown.
By March 2021, Yiannopoulos stated in an interview with the conservative media outlet LifeSiteNews that he was no longer homosexual and had demoted his husband to the status of a housemate.
An insider noted that it remains unconfirmed whether Yiannopoulos was legally married or if he ever held a valid O-1 visa. The source also clarified that Yiannopoulos was never West's official public relations representative, explaining that West does not maintain a single PR team and instead chooses to speak for himself or authorize others on a case-by-case basis. The title of publicist was one that Yiannopoulos assigned to himself.
Yiannopoulos began working with West in 2022, around the time West publicly announced plans to run for the U.S. presidency in 2024. Beyond assisting with media inquiries, Yiannopoulos was placed in charge of securing visas for international models and artists working for West's Yeezy fashion brand.
Internal audit of former work
Following the news of Yiannopoulos's deportation, his role in overseeing visa applications for international personnel has raised significant concerns for West and his business operations.
The insider stated that West has assigned a team to review all work completed by Yiannopoulos to ensure its legal compliance. The source noted that West and his team cannot trust any work conducted by Yiannopoulos given that he operated without a valid visa himself.
In an official statement provided to the Daily Mail, ICE confirmed that Yiannopoulos had overstayed his authorized period of stay in violation of federal law. The agency stated that an immigration judge had issued a final order of removal on July 22 after Yiannopoulos failed to appear for a scheduled immigration court hearing.
Federal officials stated that the Department of Homeland Security under President Donald Trump has reversed previous policies regarding domestic travel by undocumented immigrants, emphasizing that individuals residing in the country illegally will no longer be permitted to travel by air unless leaving the United States to self-deport. Yiannopoulos has since arrived in the United Kingdom.
Political stances and future steps
Although West has historically maintained a friendly relationship with President Donald Trump, the insider emphasized that West will absolutely not intervene or advocate on Yiannopoulos's behalf with the administration. The source stated that West has no desire to get involved and does not plan to speak with anyone about Yiannopoulos.
The deportation highlights a notable contrast with Yiannopoulos's previous public statements on American immigration policy. In June, Yiannopoulos posted on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, strongly supporting strict enforcement and mass deportations during President Trump's administration. In his post, Yiannopoulos wrote that the administration must deport millions of people, adding that without that action, nothing else mattered.
Representatives for Yiannopoulos were contacted by the Daily Mail for comment regarding his deportation and West's internal audit.
